WASHINGTON -- Two reports about Russian cyber-campaigns on social media platforms during the 2016 U.S. election find that Kremlin-linked trolls relentlessly targeted the African-American community to boycott the election.

The reports, by teams led by experts at the cybersecurity company New Knowledge and Oxford University, analyse operations by the St. Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency, owned by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a secretive businessman known as Vladimir Putin’s “chef” for his Kremlin catering work.

MEXICO -- Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has launched the Mayan Train – a $7.4 billion project to build a railway across five states to connect the main tourist attractions in the Yucatán peninsula

TECH -- A new form of mobile phone messaging is being slowly rolled out by network providers. Called RCS (Rich Communication Services), is intended to replace the SMS system which has been in use since 1992.

LONDON -- Events included the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and Russia’s successful hosting of the FIFA World Cup. Individuals hitting the heights included cross-country skier Marit Bjorgen.

YEAR END -- Graphic gives a preview of events expected in 2019, as more populists take power around the world, Britain exits the EU, and a trade war between Washington and Beijing continues as China marks the Year of the Pig.

YEAR END -- 2019 is looking like an excellent year for films with a box office bonanza of movies from directors including James Cameron, Quentin Tarantino, M. Night Shyamalan, Tim Burton, Jordan Peele, F. Gary Gray, and J. J. Abrams.

YEAR END -- 2019 is looking like an excellent year for films with a box office bonanza of movies from directors including James Cameron, Quentin Tarantino, M. Night Shyamalan, Tim Burton, Jordan Peele, F. Gary Gray, and J. J. Abrams.

YEAR END -- Major news stories in 2018 include the Russian spy poisoning in Britain, the Facebook privacy scandal, the extraordinary cave rescue in Thailand and the ongoing fallout from the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

YEAR END -- A review of major news stories in 2018 includes the Russian spy poisoning in Britain, the Facebook privacy scandal, the extraordinary cave rescue in Thailand and the ongoing fallout from the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

YEAR-END -- Silent Night, one of the best loved Christmas carols, was first performed in Austria two centuries ago. Now sung in 300 languages around the world, it is a key part of Yuletide festivities.

YEAR END -- Astronomers discovered the brightest object in our universe, the oceans revealed the first warm-blooded fish and fossilised steroid molecules showed that the earliest animal lived on Earth 558m years ago.

YEAR END -- Technology-driven toys continue to propel festive sales at the end of 2018, with Harry Potter and Star Wars also back in fashion and likely to be among the top picks for shoppers this year.

YEMEN -- Yemen’s warring sides have agreed to a ceasefire in the strategic port city of Hodeidah, marking a key breakthrough in a stalemated conflict that has killed thousands of people and left millions more in misery.

ANKARA -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is threatening to launch a new offensive against U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters in Syria, a move likely to further strain ties between NATO allies Turkey and the United States.

STOCKHOLM -- Swedish autonomous vehicle start-up Einride and German logistics group DB Schenker are set to gain regulatory approval, allowing an all-electric, driverless truck to carry freight on a public road.

GAMING -- Video gamers are on the verge of a seismic transformation that could see once-dominant consoles rendered obsolete by streaming services, using cloud technology to play games in real-time, just as they might watch Netflix.

XICHANG -- China’s Chang’e-4 is due to land on the far side of the Moon sometime between January 1 and 3. The mission will test plant growth and listen for radio emissions normally blocked by Earth’s atmosphere.

U.S. -- A team of scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have successfully flown the first aircraft with no moving parts. The model plane uses “ionic wind” propulsion that creates no emissions.

TECH -- A flying motorcycle developed by California-based startup Hoversurf is being used to train police officers in Dubai, with the aim of helping first responder units to access hard-to-reach areas.

MEDICAL -- A spinal cord stimulator is a device designed to help patients who are trying to combat chronic pain. A small pulse generator sends signals to the spinal cord, masking the pain messages travelling to the brain.

SOCCER -- Defending champions Real Madrid will face Ajax, while ties of the round include last season’s finalists Liverpool against Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid taking on Juventus. The matches begin February 12-13.

RUGBY -- The Rugby World Cup takes place in Japan, with 20 teams competing to be crowned World Champions. The 2019 tournament marks the first time it has been held in Asia, outside rugby's traditional heartlands.